OSCA 732932

Bulk Materials Handling Plant Operator

Overview

  • Employed persons

    2,700

  • Employment status

    88.6% Full time

    11.6% Part time

  • Median age

    43 years

  • Employment by sex

    12.9% Female

    87.0% Male

    Highly male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    5.7%

  • Main employing industry

    Transport, Postal and Warehousing

Indicator Bulk Materials Handling Plant Operator Total employment
Employed persons 2,700 12,049,400
Median age 43 years 40 years
Full-time share 88.6% 64.2%
Part-time share 11.6% 35.8%
Female employment share 12.9% 48.5%
Male employment share 87.0% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Highly male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 5.7% 2.2%
Main employing industry Transport, Postal and Warehousing Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Bulk Materials Handling Plant Operators operate plant and equipment to load, unload, move, store and stack bulk materials such as grain, sugar and mineral ore.

What the occupation involves

  • Loads bulk materials onto trucks, trains or ships
  • Unloads bulk materials from trucks, trains or ships
  • Moves, stores and stacks bulk materials
  • Monitors and adjusts plant and equipment settings for efficiency and safety
  • Performs routine maintenance and inspections on plant and equipment
  • Records and maintains accurate documentation of materials handled

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

  • Grain Handler
  • Palletiser Operator
  • Receival Point Operator (Grain)
  • Tank Farm Operator (Petroleum)

Note: Specialisations are examples of roles in within this occupation and are not separate OSCA occupations.

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 4
equivalent to a lower‑level Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification (Certificate II or III).

Note: While skill levels are described using formal education levels, some people use a combination of informal learning, on-the-job training and personal experience to achieve an equivalent level.

Licensing or registration requirements

No licensing or registration requirements are listed for this occupation.

OSCA structure

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Bulk Materials Handling Plant Operator Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 47.4% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Mining 14.9% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Wholesale Trade 12.3% Construction 8.9%
    Manufacturing 6.7% Education and Training 8.8%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 4.7% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Construction 1.6% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Administrative and Support Services 1.3% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services 0.8% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Retail Trade 0.7% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Public Administration and Safety 0.6% Financial and Insurance Services 3.7%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    States and territories

    Employment distribution by states and territories, 2021

    • New South Wales

      25.7%

    • Victoria

      16.4%

    • Queensland

      20.5%

    • South Australia

      11.2%

    • Tasmania

      0.9%

    • Northern Territory

      0.7%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      0.0%

    Bulk Materials Handling Plant Operator Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 700 25.7% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 450 16.4% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 560 20.5% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 300 11.2% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 660 24.4% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 20 0.9% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 20 0.7% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 0 0.0% 248,600 2.1%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    Age and sex

    Employment distibution by age group and sex, 2021

    Bulk Materials Handling Plant Operator

    Total employment

    Age group Bulk Materials Handling Plant Operator Total employment
    15–24 years 11.5% 14.3%
    25–34 years 22.1% 22.7%
    35–44 years 18.9% 22.3%
    45–54 years 21.8% 20.4%
    55–64 years 21.0% 15.3%
    65–74 years 4.3% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.2% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Bulk Materials Handling Plant Operator Total employment
    Female 12.9% 48.5%
    Male 87.0% 51.5%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    On this page

      OSCA occupation profiles data

      This file contains data available from the OSCA Occupation Profile page.

      Use of this data must include the relevant attribution text provided.

      OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census.xlsx

      xlsx 1236447

      Download

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA)

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) is the skill-based classification used to categorise occupations across the Australian labour market. OSCA is used to define occupations across all official occupational statistics. OSCA replaces the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).

      Each job is classified to one, and only one, group of jobs at each level of the classification with no overlaps. This prevents the accidental double-counting of roles within the Australian labour market. For more information about OSCA, visit the What is OSCA information page, or the ABS website.

      Find out more

      What is OSCA   OSCA content updates